Meet Our Educators

Ms. Bambino received her BA from Barnard College with a major in history and a minor in sociology. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. After practicing law on behalf of the homeless, she taught at The Windward School, the Shefa School, and Westchester Day School.

Gilad Bargil earned his M.A. in public management and education from Bar Ilan University. Most recently, Gilad served as the head of the pre-Army academy that he established in Lod. He has also lectured about leadership, society, and citizenship.

Ms. Russi Bohm is the SAR High School nurse. She received her B.S. in Nursing from Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing. This is her 15th year at SAR High School, where she also serves as the co- coordinator for the Communities that Care Initiative for Machon Siach at SAR High School.

Michael Courtney has been a member of the College Counseling team since 2007. He also leads the school’s Senior Exploration project and coaches the JV Boys Basketball and Varsity Softball teams. He co-chairs the school’s and yeshiva high school Guiding Good Choices.

Ms. Nancy Edelman teaches English at SAR High School. She has had a long career in Jewish education, the bulk of it spent as an English and art history teacher as well as curriculum director at TABC.Before coming to SAR, she was the founding head of humanities at the Idea School. She was the recipient of the 2015 Teaneck Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year award and experienced 30 minutes of national fame as a Jeopardy contestant in 2021. Ms. Edelman received her BA in English at UCLA, and her MA in the Teaching of English at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Mr. Simon Fleischer joined the SAR staff in 2004 and serves as the Co-Chair of the English Department. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and has his M.A. and M.Phil in English Literature from Fordham University. His work with Machon Siach has involved research into sex education in Yeshiva High Schools, and he serves as faculty for a variety of adult education classes.

Dr. Hillel Gruenberg received a PhD in History and Jewish Studies from NYU in 2014, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Law at Binghamton University in 2006, and also spent a year of graduate studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Before coming to SAR, Hillel spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and four years as the Director of Israel Engagement at JTS and Hebrew Union College.

Rabbi Hain is Rosh Beit Midrash at SAR HS and Rabbi of YIOZ of North Riverdale/Yonkers. He recently served as the Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellow and as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Center for Jewish Studies.

Rabbi Zev Hait teaches Judaic studies at SAR Academy. Outside of the classroom Zev has served on the administration at Camp Moshava, he co-founded “BAbayit” -- a young professionals community on the Upper West Side, and he co-founded and directed the Machon Siach Graduate Fellowship at SAR High School. Zev has a B.A. from Brandeis University and received rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University as a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar.

Rabbi Harcsztark is the Founding Principal of SAR High School and Dean of Machon Siach. He is the recipient of the 2017 Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.

Rabbi Helfgot is chair of the Department of Torah SheBaal Peh at SAR High School, serves as Rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, and is an adjunct faculty member at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He taught for many years at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education as well as serving on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Program.

Dr. Jacobowitz is the chair of the Tanakh Department at SAR High School and is the founding director of Makom B'Siach at SAR.

Ms. Jaffe studied Psychology at Boston University. After graduating, she worked at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and then at the JCC in Manhattan. She holds a Masters in Childhood and Adolescent Special Education from Hunter College and is certified in both general and special education. Before joining SAR's faculty, Ms. Jaffe was a middle school teacher at the Churchill School and Center.

Ms. Chana Krasnjanski received her BA in English from Brooklyn College and an MA in English from Brooklyn College with a concentration in Education. She has taught at Bais Rivkah of Crown Heights, Yeshiva of Flatbush, and the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School.

Alon Krausz Received a B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters degree in Math Education from NYU. Mr. Krausz has been in the SAR family since September 2002, starting in the Academy before moving to the High School. Prior to that, he taught math and economics at the Solomon Schechter High School of NY for five years. Alon is also the founder of the Jewish Outdoors Club and enjoys sharing the beauty and thrills of the great outdoors with his students.

Rabbi Danny Kroll is the Assistant Principal of SAR High School, overseeing student activities, chesed, athletics and co-curricular activities. He was ordained at RIETS and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Yeshiva College as well as an M.S. in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Education and Administration.

Rabbi Jonathan Kroll, a founding staff member at SAR High School, returned in 2019 as principal after six years as Head of School at Katz Yeshiva High School of South Florida. He received his B.A. from Yeshiva College, his semikha from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in secondary education from the Azrieli Graduate School.

Dr. Parkinson earned a PhD in physics from Tufts University in 2014, specializing in quantum field theory and cosmology. He has taught physics at Salem State University and Wentworth Institute of Technology, and he founded the physics program at Excel Academy Charter High School.

Dr. Schwartz serves as Associate Principal, General Studies at SAR High School, and as a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. She earned her Ph.D. in the history of science from Princeton University.

Ms. Shira Schiowitz is a Tanakh teacher and mentor. She spent most of her teaching years at Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School and was one of the founders of Lamdeinu in Teaneck. Shira received her BA from Stern College and her MA in Bible from Bernard Revel Graduate School.

Dr. Laura Shaw Frank serves as AJC's Director of Contemporary Jewish Life. She holds a PhD in Jewish history from the University of Maryland, College Park and is a former SAR High School faculty member. A graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law Schools, Dr. Shaw Frank was a corporate litigator before she became a Jewish educator.

Adina Shoulson chairs the SAR High School History Department. Adina received her B.A. from Columbia University and earned her MA in the NYU Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies.

Ms. Ariella Simpson chairs the SAR High School Math Department faculty. She received her B.A. in Mathematics from Stern College, Yeshiva University and a Master's degree from Columbia University, Teacher's College in Math Education.

Mr. David Steere received his B.A. from Princeton University in Psychology and M.A. in History and Education from Hunter College. Mr. Steere teaches U.S. History, AP U.S. History, and AP Comparative Government and Politics at SAR High School.

Mr. Steier is part of the Student Learning Center Faculty (SLC) at SAR High School. He graduated from The Bronx High School of Science and earned his B.A. and M.A.T. from SUNY Stony Brook. Additionally, he is a published poet and is currently enrolled in Rabbi Chaim Brovender's Halacha Mastery program.

Dr. Gillian Steinberg teaches in the English Department at SAR High School and co-directs SAR's Professional Development program. She is the creator of teachingwritingbetter.com.

Ms. Shuli Taubes is the chair of the Machshevet Yisrael department and teaches Tanakh, Comparative Religion, Jewish Identity and Health at SAR High School. Shuli received her Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Harvard Divinity School and her BA in history from Barnard College.

Zissy Turner serves on the Judaic Studies faculty at S.A.R High School in Riverdale, NY, teaching Tanakh and Gemara. She is 9th Grade Student Dean, and directs the Machon Siach Graduate Fellowship, a project of SAR High School’s research institute. Zissy is certified as a Yoetzet Halakha through Nishmat’s Miriam Glaubach Center. She is a graduate of Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud Study (GPATS), where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar. Zissy is currently learning advanced halakha in Ohr Torah Stone’s International Halakha Scholars Program. She has taught in diverse communities across the United States and Great Britain, sharing her love for Torah and Mitzvot with Jews in all stages of life. She lives in Riverdale, NY with her husband and daughter.

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Wadler received his BA from Yeshiva College, his MA in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School, and semikhah from RIETS. He has a PhD in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. Shlomo taught Tanakh and Hebrew at Yeshiva University as well as at the University of Notre Dame before joining the SAR faculty.

Merav Zuriel studied at Yad Ben Zvi Institute and received her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama. Ms. Zuriel received her B.A. and B.Ed. from Orot Israel College. She taught literature and history at Yeshiva Elkhanah for more than ten years before joining SAR High School.